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Sweden Trip Diary
We had been looking for an opportunity to photograph Caspian Horses in snow for months. With help from Ruth Staines, Joyce Covington and Elizabeth Webster, we had managed to track down two of the most enthusiastic Caspian owner/breeders in Sweden. Margareta Lindahl and her daughter Emma truly rose to the challenge.
The problem was an unusually warm winter in Sweden and not much snow. Christmas came and went, but still no snow. How can there be no snow in Sweden? Eventually news came that snow was forecast for late February. After weeks of exchanging emails, numerous Skype sessions and much juggling of diaries, we set the date for flying to Sweden for the photo shoot.
Thursday 19th February
I drive to Colin’s house in Sussex from my farm in Buckinghamshire the night before, so that we can drive together, with all the photographic equipment, to catch the early flight from Gatwick Airport.
We set off in the dark, arrive at the airport and check in. We have arrived early so there is time for breakfast. We settle into one of the cafes and tuck in to bacon sandwiches. The conversation is mainly about hoping for snow and good light. Security checks take about forty minutes, with all those boots, big coats and hats being taken off and put back on again. Before long we are in the air and heading east.
Stockholm Airport is as expected, very efficient and well organised. There is a lovely Scandinavian theme running through the building, which makes a nice change from the usually monotonous airport architecture one experiences these days. Every detail seems to have been given much thought. The railings, the furniture, the large illuminated photographs on the walls, all work together to say “Welcome to Sweden”.
Colin and I are so engrossed by the images on the walls that we end up walking a long way down a corridor that goes nowhere near the exit! We have a long walk back and a second look at the photographs, feeling a little guilty as we know that Margareta and Emma are waiting for us in the Arrivals hall.
Eventually we find our way around the lovely furniture and go through customs to be greeted by big warm smiles. Margareta even offers to push our trolleys for us. How kind and thoughtful - but we do, of course, decline this offer and follow them to the car park. A striking feature of Stockholm Airport is the lack of crowds compared to airports in the UK. I cannot resist the urge and eventually ask the big question “Where is everybody?” This is greeted with much laughter by Emma and Margareta. We are reminded that Sweden is a big country, with a small population. Understood…
Emma drives us on a twenty minute journey north to their farm Mellangården, in Knivsta. We look out of the car windows and see little snow. Whatever there is, it’s melting before our eyes. Margareta informs us that we are near the big city and there is better snow further up north, so there is nothing to worry about. We hope she is right.
The Lindahl family farm is in a quiet valley, near some pine forests. We are told that parts of the farmhouse date back to the seventeenth century. A wonderful old wood-burning stove in the kitchen greets us. We bring in all the luggage and are given a room to share, somewhere not far from the lovely smell of burning wood. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. Before long a few dogs appear from different parts of the house to investigate the new arrivals. We all settle around the dining table in the kitchen to enjoy the hot tea and cakes. I remember that we have brought a few small gifts for the family - a bag of Iranian Pistachio nuts and a bottle of the best Scotch whisky for the family and a big box of the famous Polo Mints for the horses.
Tea and cakes over, we are ready to have a look around. Still worried about the lack of good virgin snow, we get our cameras, wrap up and get out there.
Our first site is the pine forest nearby. Great place, but not much snow! We then drive to their new farm Torslöt, some 15 minutes away, to see if the snow is better there. The snow is indeed better there but again, not enough for a calendar shot. Margareta is concerned about this, so like a true professional, she gets on the ‘phone. A few minutes later she reports that there is plenty of lovely, powdery snow further up north in her home town in the Dalarna region, where her father lives. We ask if it is possible to get up there in time, with all the horses. Margareta assures us that this is not a problem. Over the next few days we learn that there is not much that this great duo cannot do - they seem to have a wonderful “can do” attitude toward this project. We are much encouraged and thank them.
Decision made, we walk back to the farm to see the horses and all the props. The Lindahls are what you might call ‘proper horsey people’. Everything at the farm revolves around horses. There are several Caspians, who share the farm with a few Miniature horses and Shetland ponies. Some of the show-winning Miniatures in the stables are delightful creatures. We decide to take advice from Margareta as to which Caspians would be most suitable for transporting all the way up north and being ridden by children. Almost all the Caspians in this place are ridden on a regular basis, so no problems there. Eventually it falls to Colin and I to choose our Caspians on looks. What luxury! Choices made, we go next door to see the tack. It is at this point that we see the most beautiful old wooden sleigh. How fantastic it would be to have a Caspian pulling a sleigh on snow. Margareta assures us that she is willing to take the sleigh up with the horses and have a go. What a girl!
Back at the house, we have lunch and get ready for the journey north. Emma, who has kindly taken a couple of days off work to help with the shoot, is doing the driving. We pack the equipment in her trusty old Saab and set off. Margareta is planning to follow up tomorrow evening with the two young riders, after they finish school. She will load up the trailer with the two Caspians, the sleigh and all the tack and feed later on Friday evening. She’ll then drive for four hours in the dark to join us at her father’s house in Kvarnsveden in Borlänge, in the Dalarna region.
Right from the start we notice how everyone is so at home with driving on snow. Emma tells us that every car has to be fitted with winter tyres and in the more remote areas, most cars have studded tyres. It is very clear why this is so and how tricky driving would be without such equipment. As we head north, daylight begins to fade. I cannot help but expect to see the aurora borealis in the sky, but Emma smiles and tells me that she has been doing this journey all her life and has never seen it. What a shame.
Some three and a half hours later, we arrive in Borlänge, a well-looked-after, medium-size town with a giant steelworks on the outskirts. Emma‘s grandfather lives in a nice suburb on the edge of town. We arrive at a nice classically-designed wooden bungalow and are immediately greeted by Bo Erickson. Bo is a tall man in his seventies and is clearly happy to see us all. He greets us warmly and invites us into a cosy, warm place - much appreciated by us after a four hour journey in the snow. He shows us into our room and rushes back to the kitchen to get the tea on the go. We have landed in yet another place of great hospitality…
Equipment and luggage is quickly dumped as we follow the aroma of the tea. Bo speaks great English. He is a man of many interests and skills. He is still actively involved in his business and has the ability to hold a conversation on just about any subject. Over the next few days Colin and I become great fans of this amazingly capable man. He is forever busy doing one job or another. Not long after he has poured the tea for us, he is on his computer to perform a quick task for his office and then back again for more conversation and hospitality. We are indeed in good hands. The spell of the Caspian Horse is with us yet again.
It is now about 8 p.m., so time to think about food. Bo recommends a nice little restaurant just minutes away, where they do good Kurdish food. That sounds interesting. We all set off on foot for the eatery. It is at this point that our first lesson is learnt - how to walk on thick ice and not fall over. Although we have the right boots, we are not as skilled as Bo and Emma at how to walk on ice and not end up on our faces. New skills quickly learnt, we arrive at the restaurant. The food smells great and we are the only customers there, so we are attended to without delay. Much help is provided with translation of the menu as, understandably, it is all written in Swedish. We take advice from Bo on which beers to choose and set about discussing the days ahead. We tell Bo what kind of images we would like to take. He listens carefully and makes a few suggestions. We will spend tomorrow traveling around and finding the right spots, so that on Saturday the shoot can begin.
Dinner over, we walk back (carefully!) to the house and retire for the evening.
An interesting day ahead tomorrow....
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